Monday, March 2, 2009

Abstract:Libraries contract with vendors to provide shelf-ready material, but is it really shelf-ready? It arrives with all the physical processing needed for immediate shelving, then lingers in back offices while staff conduct itemby-item checks against the catalog. CatQC, a console application for Microsoft Windows developed at the University of Florida, builds on OCLC services to get material to the shelves and into the hands of users without delay and without sacrificing data quality. Using standard C programming, CatQC identifies problems in MARC record files, often applying complex conditionals, and generates easy-to-use reports that do not require manual item review.

Abstract:This paper describes one approach to creating a search application that unlocks heterogeneous content stores and incorporates integrative functionality of Web search engines. LaneConnex is a search interface that identifies journals, books, databases, calculators, bioinformatics tools, help information, and search hits from more than three hundred full-text heterogeneous clinical and bioresearch sources. The user interface is a simple query box. Results are ranked by relevance with options for filtering by content type or expanding to the next most likely set. The system is built using component-oriented programming design. The underlying architecture is built on Apache Cocoon, Java Servlets, XML/XSLT, SQL, and JavaScript. The system has proven reliable in production, reduced user time spent finding information on the site, and maximized the institutional investment in licensed resources.

Abstract:In this paper we present the theoretical and methodological foundations for the development of a multi-agent Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI) service model that applies Semantic Web technologies for specialized digital libraries. These technologies make possible achieving more efficient information management, improving agent–user communication processes, and facilitating accurate access to relevant resources. Other tools used are fuzzy linguistic modelling techniques (which make possible easing the interaction between users and system) and natural language processing (NLP) techniques for semiautomatic thesaurus generation. Also, RSS feeds are used as “current awareness bulletins” to generate personalized bibliographic alerts.

Abstract:The number of labels used to organize resources by subject varies greatly among library websites. Some librarians choose very short lists of labels while others choose much longer lists. We conducted a study with 120 students and staff to try to answer the following question: What is the effect of the number of labels in a list on response time to research questions? What we found is that response time increases gradually as the number of the items in the list grow until the list size reaches approximately fifty items. At that point, response time increases significantly. No association between response time and relevance was found.

Abstract:Though the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) established requirements for both public libraries and public schools to adopt filters on all of their computers when they receive certain federal funding, it has not attracted a great amount of research into the effects on libraries and schools and the users of these social institutions. This paper explores the implications of CIPA in terms of its effects on public libraries and public schools, individually and in tandem. Drawing from both library and education research, the paper examines the legal background and basis of CIPA, the current state of Internet access and levels of filtering in public libraries and public schools, the perceived value of CIPA, the perceived consequences of CIPA, the differences in levels of implementation of CIPA in public libraries and public schools, and the reasons for those dramatic differences. After an analysis of these issues within the greater policy context, the paper suggests research questions to help provide more data about the challenges and questions revealed in this analysis.

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-- Andy

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